How To Prepare Yourself Financially For The Zombie Apocalypse

I’m happy as a zombie in a meat market to introduce my fellow blogger and zombie enthusiast, Michael Dinich. He wrote this scintillating guest blog post: “How to Prepare Yourself Financially for the Zombie Apocalypse” Enjoy and learn!

Hello Zombie Turkeys Fans.

I am Michael ‘AKA” Your Money Geek, and today I am going to share with you how to prepare financially for the Zombie Apocalypse. Why I am, I uniquely qualified to guide your dollars in preparation of Armageddon? Well, I have 20 years’ experience in the personal finance industry, and I am a money blogger.

In my 20 years of professional experience, I have helped clients navigate various financial disasters successfully. While I have no direct experience dealing with Zombie uprisings, I am a money blogger, and let’s be honest, when has a lack of real-world experience ever stopped a blogger form sharing their opinion?

I am however a 30+ year student of the Zombie genre, having cut my teeth on the Night of The Living Dead (1968) as a child. I was immediately enthralled and terrified, having realized the biggest threat to our survival was most likely Zombies. (Isn’t that the reason we all watch and read zombie martial? To ensure our survival)

Here is what you need to know to prepare your finances for the Z Poc.

1. Estate Planning

Estate planning even in the best of times is a topic people generally do not enjoy discussing. Planning for the disposition of one’s life work isn’t nearly a fun as other planning opportunities. However, death business is a big business, and when a little bit of money is involved you better watch out.

Don’t think Zombies are real?

Wait until a loved one passes away with a few pennies and undefined estate planning, you find all kinds of people who were “dead to you” returning to life.

It’s essential that you spend some time putting together proper estate planning to direct and control the distribution of your life’s work, and don’t forget to include digital assets like such as iTunes, Google Play, or photo storage accounts.

Now that Z Nation has introduced post-mortem talker’s estate planning will pose new challenges. It’s unclear what legal ramifications of “Dad” are contesting his own will may have. However, you can save yourself a lot of work, heartache and ensure the rest of the family doesn’t get to have to say in the finances by having proper estate planning documents such as a Living Trust, Living Will, and Powers of Attorney.

Note: you may want to consult with a paranormal attorney for an unliving will and health care documents. You do not want the courts making your post-mortem healthcare decisions if you are not able to speak on your own behalf. 

2. Taxes

The zombie genre has taught me one thing: it’s not the Zombies what will make the apocalypse suck, it’s the living.   

I’m not sure what the government has planned in the way of a “designated survivor” however I am confident it is a tax collector, and his or he first will be to reestablish tax collection. Let’s face it, rebuilding society post-apocalypse will be expensive, and the government will be looking for you to foot the bill.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt proposed a tax rate as high as 100%. We never saw his 100% but the lowest tax rate was doubled, and the highest rate reached a high of 94%.  I imagine people working to see the government take 94% of their wages felt like the living dead.

Tax rates are historically low, now may be an excellent opportunity to engage in tax planning. Who knows what disaster we may be on the hook for financially in the future; wildfires, wars, brain-munching zombies.

While taxes are low, it may make sense to consider converting a portion of traditional retirement to a Roth IRA. Also, the new tax bill has made some tax credits refundable, if you are still saving up for retirement or the Z Poc, it may sense to reconsider if you should be funding a Roth or a Traditional IRA.

The Child Tax Credit is refundable to 1400 per child in 2018, that’s mostly free money from the government to pay down debt, save for retirement, or stock up on MRE’s (Meal Ready to Eat) to survive the societal collapse.

Taxes Part Two

Tip: if you have children make sure you keep an eye on them. Last thing the survivors of the Z Poc need is a bunch of “Carl’s” running around unsupervised. 

3. Side Hustle

The side hustle or side business is one of the best tools to protect yourself from unlikely events like having your hours cut at work, layoffs, or economic downturns. The Zombie apocalypse is where the side hustle really shines. The means of production to create a product or service of value is the ultimate safety net and security against disaster.

The King of side hustles has to be the hobby farm, self-sufficiency is the fastest path to financial freedom. As every product that you can make or create at home saves you money that you do not need to go out an earn or create.  Reducing expenses means you can keep more of your income, and that you will need to have less money saved to retire.

If retiring sooner and saving more is not a compelling enough reason to start your own hobby farm; consider that many of the items, you can produce at home are very inflation sensitive. Having your own hobby farm where you generate most of your own food means that you don’t have to worry about rising food prices wrecking your FIRE (Financial Independent Retire Early) dreams.

Postwar economies tend to see higher levels of inflation, during World War 2 and the following years we saw inflation rates more than double historical norms. We have no idea what kind if any inflation World War Z will bring, of course. The ability to make your own food is a risk-free hedge against rising food prices, worst case scenario food prices stagnate, and you eliminated your food budget.

Side Hustle Part Two

All I know is in a land of face munching Zombies, no running water, no toilet paper and boarded up Piggly Wigglies the person growing their own soap and selling sponges on a stick will be king.

Andy Zach interrupts this guest blog

Piggly Wiggly? Check this out Zombie Turkeys excerpt!

4. Energy Independence

 

One of the best investments you can make is investing in your own energy independence. The price of solar panels has plummeted. Now the cost of producing your own power is lower in many areas that buying from the utilities. If you want to be able to keep reading excellent websites like Your Money Geek post-Z Poc, then you can’t rely on the grid.

Besides powering your home and saving you some money on your utility costs, producing your own power means you do not have to worry about the power going out due to severe weather. I realize the last thing on a Zombie preppers mind is flooding, snow, and windstorms. However, its been known to happen and going solar, or at least having a backup generator insures in the extraordinary event power goes out you don’t freeze in your home or lose the contents of your fridge or freezer.

If you need more convincing of the economic benefits of going solar. Having the means of producing your own power means you can electrify your fence and protect your property and provisions from zombies.

Lastly, installing renewable energy may qualify for a Federal tax credit, and if you have your own business depreciation. The tax incentives could be used to convert your taxable retirement accounts to Roth IRA’s.  How often do you get to help the environment, prepare for the Z Poc, and have Uncle Sam pay for a big chunk of it?

Bonus. Nothing says you don’t want to buy stretchy pants, essential oils, or other MLM products like surrounding your property with a ten-foot-tall electrified fence.

 

Conclusion

Zombie corgi in Scotland – Zombie Apocalypse in My Undead Mother-in-law.

We don’t know when or where the zombie uprising will hit, however following these four tips will ensure when the dead reanimate your will be prepared. If we do not ever experience a dead uprising following these tips will help save you some money and ensure you are ready for other financial disasters.

 

Author Bio

 

Michael Dinich is the founder of Your Money Geek, a personal finance blog that uses pop culture to make own finances fun and accessible.

 

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